Jared Diamond discusses his book, "The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal." The book encompasses the history of evolution from the Neanderthals, "tree of human life," and "last first contact." He writes that humans are...

Stephen Hunter discusses his novel, “Havana.” He begins by explaining that this is another book in the series that follows his main character Earl Swagger. He talks about how he wanted to explore the relationship between two men who admire each...

John O'Neil discusses his book, "The Paradox of Success: When Winning at Work Means Losing at Life: A Book of Renewal for Leaders." The book is about trying to define how the person who has success is hurt by it, and the person who is able to...

Motion picture actors and actresses - United States - Biography - Dictionaries; Silent films - United States - History and criticism

Anthony Slide discusses his book, “Silent Players.” He begins by explaining that he first became interested in silent films in the 1960s. He then explores some of the actors and actresses that he writes about in his book, including May Marsh,...

Benjamin Stein discusses his novel, “Her Only Sin.” He begins by introducing his main character, a woman who suffered abuse as a child and can’t tell the difference between real life and movies. This woman grows up to run the largest movie studio...

Richard Ben Cramer discusses his book, “How Israel Lost.” He begins by explaining how the New York Times didn’t cover much of the Israel conflict and writes from a Zionist point of view. He talks about how he went to Israel in the 1970s as a...

Gene Perret discusses his book, “How to Write and Sell Your Sense of Humor.” He begins by talking about how he writes jokes for comedians Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller. He began writing jokes when he sent Phyllis Diller some lines, and she decided...

Oscar Hijuelos discusses his book, “Empress of the Splendid Season.” He says that when he writes, he starts out with an emotion. For this book, he wanted to look at the emotionality of classes. He describes the character, Lydia, a young woman...

Janet Fitch discusses her book, “White Oleander.” She explains that the book follows the protagonist, Astrid, who is the only child of a single mother. Ingrid, Astrid’s mother is an eccentric poet who murders a man for rejecting her. The novel...

Conservatism - United States; United States - Politics and government - 1981-1989

George F. Will discusses his book, “The Morning After.” He begins by explaining why he believes the printed word is the most important way of communicating knowledge and carrying ideas. The book is a collection of articles he has written on...

Judy Stone discusses her book, “Not Quite a Memoir.” She begins by explaining that the book is based on the essays and interviews she has done throughout her career as a critic for several major newspapers. Stone describes how she first began...

Sidney Sheldon discusses his book, “Rage of Angels.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a young woman who is a criminal lawyer for the mafia. He talks about the thorough research that he did for the book and how he got to interview...

Catherine Lanigan discusses her novel, “The Christmas Star.” She begins by explaining the phenomenon of the Christmas Star, which happens every 30 years when the moon is aligned with Venus and Mars. She describes how her book is about a man who...

Francesca Delbanco discusses her novel, “Ask Me Anything.” She begins by explaining that her book is about a young girl who moves to New York City and writes a teen advice column. Her character gives bad romance advice because her relationships...

Jon Macks discusses his book, “How To Be Funny.” He begins by explaining that he writes for The Oscars and for late night television shows. He discusses how there are several different styles of humor, and when it is appropriate to use each of...

Sidney Sheldon discusses his book, “If Tomorrow Comes.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a woman who breaks out of jail and flees to Europe. He talks about how he tried to incorporate humor into his book and modeled his characters...

Amy Fine Collins discusses her book, “The God of Driving.” She talks about how she learned to drive a car and motorcycle at an older age than most people. She describes her driving instructor Attila and how the two struck up an unlikely...

Clyde Edgerton discusses his novel, “Where Trouble Sleeps.” He begins by explaining that his book is about a tragedy in a small rural town in North Carolina. He talks about his own life growing up in the south, and how he included many of his...

Julie Orringer discusses her book, “How to Breathe Underwater.” She begins by explaining how she gradually wrote this collection of short stories over the span of several years. She provides background information on her Jewish upbringing and how...

Olive Gallagher discusses her book, “A Simple Path to the Good Life.” She begins by explaining that she writes for an advice column, and responds to a lot of ethical questions and problems people have. She doesn’t tell anyone what to do, but...